• A survey from The Gym Group highlights the rising importance of fitness and exercise, alongside the growing role of working out as a social activity, amongst 18–24-year-olds
• Over half (62%) of respondents work out twice a week or more, with average monthly visits at The Gym Group up by 10% year on year amongst this cohort in 2023
• Over half (53%) of Gen Z surveyed are now prioritising more of their spending on health and fitness memberships or apps compared to 12 months ago.

London, 23 September 2024: More than a third (37%) of Gen Z view working out as a way to socialise and nearly half (42%) have formed new friendships while keeping fit, according to new research out today from leading low cost fitness chain, The Gym Group.

Almost a quarter (23%) of respondents listed socialising with friends as a core motivation for exercising, while just over a quarter (27%) see exercise as a chance to meet new people and expand their social circles. 

The survey of over 2,000 young adults aged 18-24 was conducted for The Gym Group, to understand Gen Z’s attitudes to health and fitness as a core part of the company’s membership, representing almost 30% of total membership (as at 30th June 2024).

Almost two-thirds (62%) of respondents said they exercise at least twice a week and a quarter (28%) work out more than three times a week, highlighting the importance of keeping fit. Only 3% reported not exercising at all. This is reflected in The Gym Group’s own data, with average monthly member visits to its gyms up by 10% in 2023 compared to prior year, amongst the 18-24-year-old cohort.  

Will Orr, CEO, The Gym Group, comments:

We know how important gyms are to our Gen Z members and it’s great to see this research support this. Young people recognise the importance of keeping fit for their physical and mental wellbeing, demonstrating a high ‘Fitness IQ’, and so it makes sense that gyms are now a popular place for socialising.

Our gyms not only help young people stay active and enjoy the benefits of exercise, but also offer a great space to meet with friends. The social value of gyms can be underestimated, but we know many of our members join us to feel part of a community, and for those in-person connections. 

This survey ultimately highlights the priority status awarded to health and wellbeing amongst Gen Z and our high value, low cost gyms offer an accessible and popular solution to this important trend.

The growing emphasis on health and wellbeing is reinforced by changing spending habits, with over half (53%) of Gen Z spending more on health and fitness-related memberships or apps than they did 12 months ago. 

Outside of monthly fixed costs, nearly a quarter (22%) of respondents prioritise their disposable income on health and fitness the most, more than all other areas such as socialising with friends (18%), streaming services (18%), going to pubs or restaurants (16%), and fashion and travel (13%).

While the majority (64%) spend up to £50 per month on fitness-related memberships and activities, nearly a quarter (22%) dedicate more than £50. The push to adopting a healthier lifestyle is complemented by almost half of respondents (47%) admitting to decreasing their alcohol intake or stopping drinking entirely in the last six months. Significantly, the main driver for reducing alcohol intake was linked to improving physical fitness (36%), followed by general health concerns (22%) and the influence of family or friends (12%), according to the findings.

This sentiment is paired with a high ‘Fitness IQ’ amongst Gen Z, as 46% of respondents say they have good knowledge about physical fitness and exercise. 

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors:

Methodology

Unless otherwise stated, fieldwork was conducted via Focaldata’s in-house platform, with API integration to an online panel network. Data collection took place between 2nd August to 5th August 2024, with a total of 2,039 respondents from a nationally representative group of those aged 18 to 24 in the UK completing the survey. Data was weighted by gender and region.

About The Gym Group

The Gym Group was a pioneer of the low-cost gym model and operates 240 high quality sites across the UK. These gyms offer 24/7 opening and flexible, no contract membership. As at 30 June 2024, there were 905,000 members nationwide. Our gyms have over 60 million visits per annum, score highly on member satisfaction and are consistently rated ‘excellent’ on Trustpilot. The Gym Group is the world’s first gym operator to have its science-based net-zero emission reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).